"There are two way of establishing a reputation, one to be praised by honest people and the other to be accused by rogues. It is best, however, to secure the first one, because it will always be accompanied by the latter"
About this Quote
Colton’s line is a tidy little trap for the reader’s vanity: it flatters the desire to be seen as “good” while warning that goodness, if it’s real, will irritate the bad-faith actors circling any public life. The wit lies in how he collapses two supposedly opposite routes to reputation - praise and accusation - into a single package deal. If you’re doing something principled, you don’t just win allies; you also acquire enemies who feel indicted by your existence.
The subtext is less about moral purity than about social optics. “Rogues” aren’t only criminals; they’re opportunists, hypocrites, people who thrive in murky systems. Their accusations function as a perverse credential: if the wrong crowd is mad at you, you’re probably disrupting their arrangement. Colton is offering a psychological vaccine against scandal. Don’t panic when the smear arrives; it may be the shadow cast by integrity under bright light.
Context matters: early 19th-century Britain was a soup of pamphlet wars, patronage, political faction, and rising public scrutiny. Reputation was currency, and slander was a common spending habit. Colton, a moralizing aphorist with a clerical background and his own share of controversy, writes like someone who understands that public virtue is rarely a quiet personal asset. It’s a provocation.
The rhetorical move is slyly modern: he reframes criticism not as a verdict but as a diagnostic. The catch is embedded in “best.” He isn’t romanticizing conflict; he’s reminding you that if your reputation is clean enough to satisfy honest people, it will be visible enough to attract rogues looking to muddy it.
The subtext is less about moral purity than about social optics. “Rogues” aren’t only criminals; they’re opportunists, hypocrites, people who thrive in murky systems. Their accusations function as a perverse credential: if the wrong crowd is mad at you, you’re probably disrupting their arrangement. Colton is offering a psychological vaccine against scandal. Don’t panic when the smear arrives; it may be the shadow cast by integrity under bright light.
Context matters: early 19th-century Britain was a soup of pamphlet wars, patronage, political faction, and rising public scrutiny. Reputation was currency, and slander was a common spending habit. Colton, a moralizing aphorist with a clerical background and his own share of controversy, writes like someone who understands that public virtue is rarely a quiet personal asset. It’s a provocation.
The rhetorical move is slyly modern: he reframes criticism not as a verdict but as a diagnostic. The catch is embedded in “best.” He isn’t romanticizing conflict; he’s reminding you that if your reputation is clean enough to satisfy honest people, it will be visible enough to attract rogues looking to muddy it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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